The Verdict: The shift from computers to wearables is the perfect time for the ex-Burberry CEO to shake things up at Apple's glass and aluminum shrines, I just hope she gets rid of the annoying musical chairs-style support at the Genius Bar while she's at it.

Indian-based Reliance Retail will shut down 16 of its 20 Apple premium reseller stores because they do not comply with the strict guidelines set out by Apple.

Apple dictates that its stores must conform to a standardized design featuring high ceilings, white LED lighting, wooden floors, specific display tables, and numerous other details.

Reliance has been focusing on rapid expansion, with little regard for Apple’s design requests.

“Complying with such specifications in a market like India may not always make business sense since Apple is still a niche brand and in the current economic environment it becomes an added expense to change store design,” said a senior executive who runs a chain of Apple Stores in the country.

Reportedly Reliance will instead convert the prime location stores into Digital Xpress outlets, which will stock Apple products alongside other leading electronic brands.

According to the Economic Times, this closure may disrupt Apple’s bid to intensify sales in India — which has shown itself to be a growing market for Apple products.

About the author:

Luke Dormehl is a UK-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems, And Create More and The Apple Revolution, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme, and other publications. He'd like you a lot if you followed him on Twitter.

paulshadwell

This story is misleading. The company refocusing it’s stores is not Apple but a premium reseller of Apple products. So not “Apple” stores.Link bating is not cool.